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10 reasons to visit Sonoma County now

By Sophia Markoulakis| on October 30, 2015

1. A Wine &

Food Affair

Wine Road, in northern Sonoma County, holds three major events each year, and one of them is just around the corner. A Wine & Food Affair Nov. 7-8 features two days of wine and paired food tastings from more than 100 wineries in the Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valley area. Wineries select and serve recipes that are either family favorites, pair well with a specific bottle or vintage, or celebrate the post-harvest holiday season. Cost: $70; $50 for Sunday only. Hours:11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wineries and tasting rooms throughout Sonoma Valley. Recipes and a downloadable map are available at www.wineroad.com/events/wine-food-affair

2. Winterblast Street Fair

For almost 20 years, Santa Rosa’s artists and art-focused businesses have been transforming a part of the city’s downtown district into a vibrant art enclave. Though the South A Street Arts District holds many art-centered events throughout the year, its annual family-friendly Winterblast Street Fair and parade from 5 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 14, encourages everyone to join in the fun. Besides food, live music, and participation from galleries, restaurants and shops, the main draw of this event is the parade of decorated sofas wheeled down Sebastopol Avenue and South A Street. Anyone can enter a decked-out sofa (lights encouraged), as long as it has wheels. www.sofasantarosa.com/sofa

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Headquartered a quarter-mile off Healdsburg’s busy downtown district is Dundee Butcher’s Russian River Flower School, where workshops focus on the foliage and flora of the region. Butcher’s Nov. 21 workshop is geared specifically for the holidays and the task of decorating the table with the limited supply of blooms (think seed pods, berries, branches, late-season hydrangeas), and clever ways to incorporate candles. $225 (includes materials and flowers, an afternoon snack and wine). 1-3:30 p.m. Nov. 21. 1531 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. (707) 479-3816, www.russianriverflowerschool.com

4. West Coast

Fiber Artists

Now through Nov. 29, visitors can view an eye-opening display of fiber art at the Museums of Sonoma County. The show brings together work by contemporary fiber artists throughout the West, and demonstrates how fiber has the capacity for compelling high-level art. Look for creatives such as Bay Area mixed-media artist Lia Cook, who combines photography, neuroscience and weaving to create evocative three-dimensional woven portraits. Admission: $10 for adults, $7 students and seniors, under 12 free. Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Tues.-Sun. Art Museum of Sonoma County and History Museum of Sonoma County, 425 Seventh St., Santa Rosa. (707) 579-1500, www.sonomacountymuseum.org.

5. Santa Rosa

Symphony

This Wine Country gem received a boost when it became the resident orchestra for the new Green Music Center at Sonoma State University three years ago. Though the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts is still used for the symphony’s Pop Series, the Classical Series concerts are now performed at the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall. Fashioned after Vienna’s Musikverein, Weill Hall is one of the most acoustically sound concert halls in the world. Naturally, it’s a great place to hear Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, which runs Dec. 5-7 with four performances. A choir loft and choir circle supports soloists and chorus for this choral masterpiece. Single tickets $25 and up. 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park. (707) 546-8742. www.santarosasymphony.com.

Downtown Windsor’s Mutt Lynch Winery is known for being a dog-friendly tasting room and winemaking facility (canines are welcome with a treat and toy). So the winery’s annual holiday gathering from 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 11 wouldn’t be the same without a few dogs in the house. Guests (and their pets) are encouraged to show up wearing their ugliest sweater, and both have a chance to compete for prizes. Drink wine, enjoy appetizers, and vote for your favorites. The $10 admission benefits the Sonoma Humane Society. 9050 Windsor Road, Windsor. (707) 942-6180, www.muttlynchwinery.com.

7. Feast of the Olive

Word in the grove is that this year’s California olive crop is a big one. See how it unfolds at the Feast of the Olive Dinner from 6 to 10 p.m. Jan. 30, at Ramekins Culinary School, where guests enjoy a multicourse olive-focused menu prepared by 19 of the valley’s top chefs. The event is the culmination of a monthlong celebration of the valley’s olive season that includes activities like curing workshops at Jacuzzi Family Vineyards and olive oil spa treatments at participating resorts. $175. 450 W. Spain St., Sonoma. (707) 996-1090, www.olivefestival.com.

8. Mountain Top Wine Tasting

For more than 100 years, five generations of the Kunde family have tended to 1,850 acres of vineyards and native habitat. The Mountain Top Wine Tasting is a fantastic way to sample Kunde’s award-winning wines while enjoying the picturesque views of the family’s estate. The two-hour experience starts with a tour of the winery’s caves. Next, a private coach takes guests to the top of the estate’s 1,850-acre property. From the top of the Mayacamas Mountain range, you’ll taste several wines at 1,400 feet above the Sonoma Valley and learn about the family’s commitment to the land and sustainability. Reserve ahead, $40. 9825 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood. (707) 833-5501, www.kunde.com.

9. Biplane tours

Hot-air balloons aren’t the only way to see the Wine Country from above. Pilot and owner of Coastal Air Tours Bob Berwick flies open-cockpit tours in his restored 1926 Travelair biplane. Excursions are customizable and can include flights over the coast, Wine Country, and even to Marin and the Golden Gate Bridge. His Over the Moon package ($875 for two) includes a 30-minute flight and chauffeured tour of selected wineries with a catered lunch. Tours start at $175 per passenger with the second $95. 21870 Eighth St. E., Sonoma. (415) 609-7273, www.coastalairtours.com.

10. Wine Country Bikes

Biking the county’s wine roads during the late fall affords the opportunity to slow down and explore Sonoma’s different wine appellations in cooler weather. Consider the outfit’s Classic Dry Creek Valley Bike Tour ($139 per person), a casual 15-20 mile ride through the town of Healdsburg and Dry Creek Valley. Plan on an informal guided ride on a comfy Trek hybrid-style bike, stops at wineries, beverages and a catered lunch by Healdsburg’s Oakville Grocery. Bike rentals and other longer tours available. 61 Front St., Healdsburg. (707) 473-0610. Reserve online: www.winecountrybikes.com.